The disclosed embodiments relate generally to methods and systems for package assembly.
Package assembly typically requires multiple participants and resources. Initially, a brand manager teams with a structural designer to obtain an appropriate structural design definition that meets specified requirements. The structural design definition must be compatible with the production process. The structural design definition is then forwarded to a graphic artist who creates graphics used in the printing process. In some cases, the graphical and structural designs are passed between the brand manager and the graphic artist several times before such structural and graphic designs are finalized. At that point, the graphic design is used to create a set of plates for the printing process and the structural design drive is used in the creation of a compatible set of dies. The packaging flats are then printed, die-cut and converted to a form (e.g., ready to erect) that is compatible with the fulfillment process.
This process introduces the potential for errors due to the iterative nature of creating the structural and graphic designs. Also, the process has long lead times and a slow turn around which results in an extended product development cycle. As a result, the flexibility of creating new packages and graphics is limited. As such, it is time consuming and expensive to create sample packages and prototypes using conventional process.